I'm very flattered!

The lovely Chelle has given me an award and I am very, very flattered - thank you Chelle!

Here are the rules to the award:

1. 
   
   
   
   Tell your readers how your journey into blogging began. Be as verbose or shy as you like.




2. 
   
   
   
   3-5 fellows whom you adore and write exactly what you value about that person or blog. The more that you write about them, the better. This is a chance to really appreciate your blog friends who have been there for you through thick and thin.




3. 
   
   
   
   Let the blessed winners know they have been awarded.

So, without further ado, here firstly is my story about how I got into blogging. I started a blog about having lap band surgery for the business that my friend and I have set up and I found it a wonderful way to express myself. I started this particular blog after our 5th IVF cycle was unsuccessful and we decided to go to Thailand to try a donor egg cycle there. I had searched far and wide to see if I could find a blogger in my particular situation, going to another country to access a donor but I couldn't find anyone, especially for Thailand so I thought to myself, 'okay, I will start my own!'. I purposely kept this blog anonymous as I wanted to be able to express all of my emotions without censoring myself. Only my husband, my best mate J and Lifeslurper know my try identity (she was very encouraging!!).

Here are my nominations:

1. Lifeslurper and Teddy Lifeslurper - my number 1 blogging inspiration, sounding board and blogging yoda (she reminds me to sign up for ICLW, let me know about Stirrup Queens and let me know about CycleSista) - what would I do without this wonderful friend I met on an Australian IVF forum. Her posts are poignant, brutally honest and funny, I love her to bits and whilst they have parted ways, Teddy Lifeslurper never fails to bring a smile to my face - you haven't lived until you have had a view of his (and don't forget the big blue dog!) antics.

2. Chelle from Once an Infertile - and not because you created this award but because you are an inspiration to me. When I first started doing ICLW, I wouldn't look at any blogs of IF women who were already successful, not because I was resentful, just because I felt I had more in common with the women who were trying. You have given me the courage to open my mind and heart to more who are on different stages of the journey and I am absolutely grateful for it (plus, this way you can nominate 5 more and I might find some more grouse blogs to follow myself - yes, of course it is all about me :))

3. TireeGal from Happy Go Lucky - who found me during and ICLW I believe and is a fellow donor egg cycle gal. I visited her blog after she had commented here and I liked the title of her blog 'Happy Go Lucky' it was so aspirational and I was intrigued that someone could be that way going through the IF journey - she has been a wonderful comfort over the past months. She is in the TWW at the moment with a test on 11 December - I am hoping that this will be a BFP for you my friend!

4. Jill at All Aboard the Pity Boat - I felt instant kinship with Jill when I found her - despite the fact that we live on opposite ends of the earth! She is an amazing woman. She is doing a running challenge at the moment, is crocheting (!!) and has the most gorgeous blue heeler you've ever seen in your life.

5. Miss Tori at The Winding Road to Parenthood - she has been a wonderful comfort to me over the past few months and is always quick with a kind word and a lovely piece of advice. She is preparing for her Lap Band surgery on 17 December (the same day as our transfer) and I hope that everything goes very well!!

Well that is it for the awards - once again, thank you Chelle!

On other matters, I spoke too soon about the 'no side effects with the drugs'. I have hit an emotional roller coaster. I went to the market with my Mum this morning as per usual and we were talking about my Dad. It is pretty hard at the moment because he is deteriorating so rapidly with the hydrocephallus and demtetia. He is disappearing in front of our eyes and I try to be available to my mum so that she can talk about it - the poor thing is having a very rough time as Dad is getting nastier, more agressive and paranoid by the day - she is pretty ground down by it all. Unfortunately this morning in the car, I just started sobbing and couldn't stop - I felt bad because I didn't want to heap any more worry on to her. I seem to be crying at the drop of a hat lately and whilst it is not surprising with everything going on, I am a bit exhausted by it all.

Mum and I ended up having a laugh about it and she was really good so I felt a bit better but honestly, my emotions are going crazy! I was going to clean the house an pack this afternoon but ended up sleeping for the majority of it - that's fine, I can do the cleaning and packing tomorrow.

I wanted to post some pics of Journey Dog who is Woolly. The first one shows him with before his clipping last week and the second one is today (post shorn like a sheep) - here they are:

Wow, only four more sleeps to go!